Gun control on the ballot as activists seek reform through state initiatives

Gun control on the ballot as activists seek reform through state initiatives

Though America has seen a string of mass shootings over the past year, no gun control legislation has been passed at the federal level. ‘It doesn’t stop’: Parkland students’ pain still raw three months after shooting Read more Three months after 17 people were killed and 17 injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, leading to a national push for reform led by student survivors, the debate has shifted, from Capitol Hill to states across the country. As November’s midterm elections approach, advocates of stricter gun laws hope to place the issue directly into the hands of voters. States such as Oregon and Washington will consider ballot initiatives including a ban on assault rifles and raising the minimum age for purchasing certain kinds of gun. Activists increasingly believe the issue will be litigated at the state level, given the National Rifle Association’s strength in Washington. After all, polling has found that voters are broadly supportive of modest gun restrictions, a trend that has held since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in which 20 children and six adults were killed . “It’s not surprising that people are turning to the ballot to address gun safety,” said Donna De La Cruz, a spokesperson at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center , a progressive group that focuses on ballot measure campaigns. “In poll after poll, common-sense gun laws are overwhelmingly popular.” “Many politicians are too beholden to the NRA to address the gun violence […]